Anti-Semitism in the Church, by Kevin Williams
Yet the underlying implication that God has chosen Spiritual Israel over Natural Israel, that He has rejected the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is anti-Semitic. You may not interpret it that way, but again, if you were Jewish, how else could you interpret it?
I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! [Rom 11:1]
Calling ourselves “Spiritual Israel” may make us feel good and as though we are a part of something greater than ourselves, but it does not make the Jewish community feel good. It can infer that they are rejected by both God and the church and therefore, is anti-Semitic.
“But didn’t the Jews reject Jesus?” This too is an often coined phrase that stings in the ear of the Jewish community. When Jesus was walking the earth, certainly there were “some” that rejected Him. And we know that there were myriad thousands who believed (Acts 21:20). We watch the Hollywood depictions of Jesus before Pontius Pilate and get the idea that the entire nation of Israel shouted in favor of “Barabas.” This simply is not true. First of all, archeological fact proves that the area were this exhibition took place could hold no more than 400 people, hardly a national throng. Secondly, it was Passover. The moral people were at home observing the feast on this most auspicious Sabbath, they were not engaging in secular, Roman proceedings. Only the immoral and irreligious men were there before Pilate. Not exactly the kind of people I would want speaking for me or representing my national interests. How about you?
In a modern context, haven’t the Jews rejected Jesus? The majority of them have never had an opportunity to decide one way or the other, and this is the most cruel, ungodly, and irreverent form of anti-Semitism. To not give them the opportunity to decide whether the gospel is true or not is to withhold their own promised Savior and condemn them to Hell. Hitler may have sent 6 million to the gas chambers, and that was an atrocity, but when we hold back the knowledge of the Messiah from those to whom He was promised, haven’t we cursed the Chosen People to a fate worse than death? Isn’t that a biblical definition for anti-Semitism? Is it not alive in our churches?
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe, to the Jew first and also the Greek.” [Rom 1:16]
The Good News of Jesus Christ is, at its very core, the fulfillment of God’s promises to the Jewish people, both yesterday and today. We busy ourselves with the very good work of supporting missions to every corner of the globe, which is as it should be. But what about the nation that lives among us? What about the Jewish people?
“How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” [Rom 10:14]
Jewish evangelism is a delicate matter. Things we know and practice when ministering to pagans do not have the same affect. Jews are not pagans. We can’t convert them from something into something else. But we can, through the blood of the Lamb, help them become more of what God has already called them to be—the righteous remnant of Israel.
PR
To learn more about the redemptive pictures and messianic promises inherent in the biblical holidays of Leviticus 23, read these on-line study booklets by Kevin Williams (published by RBC Ministries):
Fall Feasts Rosh Hoshanah, Yom Kippur, Tabernacles
Spring Feasts Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost
Category: Ministry
Followers
Fans
